JERUSALEM

The Israeli military is working to separate northern Gaza from Gaza City and prevent the return of displaced Palestinians to their areas in the north, Israeli media said on Thursday.

The army has launched a deadly offensive in the northern Gaza Strip since last month to allegedly prevent Palestinian resistance group Hamas from regrouping.

Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

The army estimates that only a few thousand Palestinians remain in northern Gaza, in addition to between 1,000-3,000 people in Beit Lahia and around 1,000 in Jabalia, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.

“The army says that after its forces entered Jabalia twice in the past, there is no intention to allow residents of northern Gaza to return to their homes,” KAN said.

The military claims that “humanitarian aid will reach southern Gaza regularly and that there are no more civilians north of Gaza City,” it added.

The broadcaster said when senior military officials were asked about plans to divide northern Gaza into two sections, they said that the goal was to sever northern Gaza from Gaza City, without providing further details.

More than 1,800 people have been killed in the ongoing Israeli offensive in northern Gaza, according to Palestinian health authorities. Food and other aid are severely limited.

Israel has continued a devastating offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, killing nearly 43,470 people and rendering the enclave almost uninhabitable.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the blockaded enclave.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio